Arete (Encounter)
The Second Gatekeeper is the final encounter in Grand Games: The Summit Enemies * Arete (975 Gold, 120 XP, 75 Energy, 5 HP) Transcript Introduction You climb up the marble stairs, onto the platform. "%name%! %name%! %name%!" Nymphs and satyrs are calling your name, raising it to the heavens. "%name%! %name%! %name%!" You close your eyes and let the waves of glory wash over you. "You have triumphed above all others." The voice is a rich, deep boom. It silences the crowd. "And earned the victor's laurels time and again." Your eyes flick open. There's a man in front of you, clad in an athlete's tunic like your own -- except that his shines as though it were fashioned from light itself, bright and blazing. He's tall and broad-chested. His face is handsome and almost boyish, yet his strong jaw gives him a touch of ruggedness. Golden curls and beard frame his features like an aura. But his blue eyes are hard, cold, piercing. "Yet you triumphed through conniving and dishonesty." "Well, I never actually said I wouldn't cheat..." He turns to the crowd. "What penalty does %he% deserve for cheating?" "Death! Death! Death!" they chant. You stare at the fickle mob and wonder if you should start tossing fireballs into their midst. "Death! Death! Death!" "Yes, that would be just!" the man says. "But %he% has shown skill as well as wickedness. So I shall give %him% a chance to preserve %his% life and keep his glory intact. If %name% can best me in combat, %he% will live. If %he% fails, %his% demise will serve as a warning to any other who might seek to dishonor our games!" You sigh. If you'd known athletics were this much hassle... Conclusion Brawl boss unlocked! Your hands lock together, fingers clasping fingers and securing your hold. The blade of your forearm drives up into his throat. Ha! You'll see how pompous and self-righteous the bastard is after he's been strangled for a bit. That pleasant notion amuses you for an instant, before he rises up -- hefting you high into the air. This isn't going to be fun... He leaps, twists, and slams you onto the marble platform. Pain explodes in your back. His muscular mass lands on top of you, crushing the wind from your lungs. He sits up, straddling your torso, and gazes down at you. "Yield and repent, for a swift death." "No!" His fist thunders against your skull, smashing it into the stone. "Yield!" "No!" This time you're ready. You slip your head aside and bring your arms up to block. A barrage of punches rains down, bombarding your forearms and elbows while you shift to the left and right, trying to evade the devastating blows. A strike slips through your defenses. Something gives way beneath your left eye. "Yield!" He sits back, raising his fist to destroy you. "Wait! I... I..." He pauses. His arm drops back down. "I... Garinsha muranardu vushoon." "What?" Purple light throbs around your right hand. You extend its fingers in the shape of a spear blade, ever so slightly curved, and thrust it at his abdomen. The crowd lets out a collective gasp. Your magic-coated digits pierce his muscles and plunge inside. He roars. His fist clenches again. But so does yours. You grab hold of his intestines and give them one single, savage yank. A gory tangle emerges into the light. He looks down as you disembowel him. And he laughs. "%name% has triumphed through cunning! So be it! May the gods grant you all the blessings of the games." "%name%! %name%! %name%!" the nymphs and satyrs cry. He claps his hands together. The universe explodes in golden light. *** "%name%!" "Huh?" You open your eyes. Tessa Tullian's standing above you, wearing a bemused expression. "You were shouting in your sleep." "Oh... I..." You sit up and shake your head. "I had the strangest dream..." "Stranger than that last one you told me about?" "Hmm... Maybe not." "You need to stop eating so much cheese at supper." She walks away. You sigh and lie back down. Faint voices echo in your ears, as though from far, far away. "%name%! %name%! %name%!" You close your eyes and bathe in remembered glory. Category:Grand Games: The Summit